CAPA helps Columbus Symphony Orchestra with Shared Services

by Rolanda Copley, CAPA Publicist

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and CAPA will soon share more than the Ohio Theatre. Just announced today, both organizations will enter into a five-year management agreement beginning April 5. What this means is that CAPA will begin providing many back office services to the CSO, including accounting, ticketing, and marketing, among others.

CAPA President and CEO Bill Conner will serve as the volunteer Managing Director and CEO of the Symphony, and current CSO President Roland Valliere will continue in that role, also taking on the responsibilities of Chief Creative Officer.

While there is much work ahead, this is a win-win relationship for everyone. At CAPA, we can continue to fulfill our mission to serve the arts community in Columbus. For the CSO, the cost savings will help enable them to continue to present live, classical music performances in Columbus. And the central Ohio community will be able to continue enjoying the CSO performances they’ve come to know and love whether it be pops, classical, holiday pops, Picnic with the Pops, or all of the above.

CAPA is proud to partner with the CSO, and we look forward to a bright future for classical music in Columbus!

Here’s what people are saying:

“The Symphony is one of the great cultural and arts resources in our community. The new agreement with CAPA can provide significant stability to their organization and enable them to continue serving Columbus.”
-Doug Kridler, President and CEO, The Columbus Foundation

“Collaboration is vital across all aspects of our community, and we applaud this new business model. This agreement between CAPA and the CSO is a unique, homegrown model which will leverage the strengths of these two existing community organizations while saving money and holding down costs. A healthy and sustainable orchestra is important to our city’s economic development and this plan should move us toward that common goal.”
– Alex Fischer, CEO, Columbus Partnership

“This new partnership in Columbus between a performing arts organization, the symphony, and musicians is truly unique. Coupled with a new vision of sharing music through the internet and cell phone applications, as well as traditional live concerts, this model could be a new blueprint for orchestral music in our country.”
Jesse Rosen, President and CEO, The League of American Orchestras

“This truly remarkable partnership marks a unique approach to leverage artistic and managerial resources between two significant contributors to arts and culture in Columbus. The resulting new platform is designed to create new synergies for success at the local level and marks yet another business model that orchestras and other arts providers across the nation might consider.”
-Wayne S. Brown, Director of Music and Opera, National Endowment for the Arts

“CAPA has been a great corporate citizen to Columbus. We applaud their support of the CSO and this city.”
-Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman

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CAPA has received arts employment support from the Ohio Arts Council made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts through funds allocated from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.